Some people believe that they’re entitled to everything and anything they want because they face a slight bit of discomfort. Sometimes, they’re not above making a massive scene to pressure others into getting what they want.
Case in point, redditor u/a_hanging_thread went on the r/entitledparents subreddit to share how one ‘mombie’ (aka ‘mom zombie’) caused a bunch of drama on a plane trip. All because she felt like she should claim an extra seat she didn’t pay for. Read on for the full story, as well as to see what the internet had to say about this sort of behavior.
Bored Panda got in touch with the author of the viral story, Dr. Thread, aka u/a_hanging_thread. They were happy to tell us more about what happened on the plane and shared their thoughts on how best to deal with entitled people eyeing other people’s seats. Scroll down for our full interview with them.
Some airplane passengers believe that they're entitled to better service and comforts than their fellow travelers
Image credits: Kelly / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One internet user shared how a mom on their flight caused a scene because she felt entitled so someone else's seat
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Pew Nguyen / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: a_hanging_thread
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
In reality, entitled passengers are becoming the norm, not a rarity
Christopher Elliott notes on USA Today that there is an entitlement problem with some travelers. According to him, fixing this entitlement mentality should start with lessening the divide between all travelers.
Elliott claims that the divide between first class and economy class is too big, leading to adults throwing tantrums if they don’t get upgrades. “It's time for regulators to mandate a minimum amount of legroom and seat width in the back of the plane, to keep the divide from becoming too disruptive,” he says.
Another potential solution to the widespread problem is reforming loyalty programs so that travelers have more grounded expectations for their flights. Alternatively, airlines and travel companies need to set at least some basic behavior standards for travelers.
“Don't cut in line. Don't lean your seat all the way back into someone else's personal space. Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ If they don't tell them what they expect, how can anyone know?” Elliott notes that the companies themselves have to take on at least some of the responsibility for how their customers behave while traveling.
He’s right. Although the flight staff have to be as diplomatic and professional as possible, they should at least do their best to call out overly entitled tantrums. It should not be just the other passengers’ responsibility to push back against unruly behavior.
Business Insider reports that the US Federal Aviation Administration implemented a zero-tolerance policy against unruly passengers in 2021. The goal was to try to stem out the huge number of instances of traveler misconduct.
In 2021, there were nearly 6k reports of misconduct. This number dropped to just over 1,9k reports in 2023. While the situation has improved, it is still worse than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the International Air Transport Association, between 2021 and 2022, there were lots more cases of unruly plane passenger behavior. There was, on average, one such incident for every 568 flights in 2022, which was higher than the average of one incident per 835 flights in 2021.
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Parents ought to plan ahead if they know they'll be traveling with their kids
Traveling with a child can be quite challenging. Probably nobody’s naive enough to think otherwise. However, if you know what the potential issues might be, it only makes sense to plan for them.
For instance, if you know that you’d like some extra room on the flight, you could buy an additional seat for your kid to sit in. Or you could upgrade the entire family to first class for even more space, privacy, and other perks.
Of course, all of these things cost additional money. Not everyone has the extra cash to spare. However, if your budget is particularly tight, in these situations, it might be best to consider cheaper methods of transport altogether.
In those cases where there’s little room to move on a plane, it’s probably best to grit your teeth for the duration of the flight, like all the other passengers. What’s not okay is trying to claim a seat that someone else paid for.
Having a child can make the journey more difficult, but they should not be used as an excuse to make someone else’s trip harder either.
Nobody wants parents and their kids to be uncomfortable. But neither should anyone else be forced to give up their seats against their will. Of course, if they’re fine with being reseated, then there’s no real issue.
Image credits: Hasan Gulec / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Passengers tend to deal with discomfort in very different ways
We asked the author of the post about what the general reaction was like on the plane at the time of the incident with the 'mombie.' According to them, most passengers were passive. "The flight attendant was handling it, so while people were curious and paying attention, no one was saying anything. The older person by the window was just chilling, eyes closed, as if they were thinking, 'This too shall pass.' We were all pretty impressed by how well the flight attendant was handling it, I think," Dr. Thread told Bored Panda.
“I fly a lot and have seen a lot of questionable behavior from entitled parents (and some great behavior from good parents, of course), and usually, the flight attendant is pretty busy or doesn’t want to deal with the conflict. This flight attendant stood her ground," they praised the staff.
We were curious to get the OP's take on why some people feel like they're entitled to other folks' seats. According to the redditor, public transport is becoming increasingly uncomfortable for a lot of people. “I sometimes get seated next to larger or very tall people (I’m pretty tall, myself), and I feel bad that they have to squeeze into seats that are barely wide enough for a twelve-year-old to sit comfortably. It creates a lot of tension and stress, and passengers become desperate to alleviate their discomfort," Dr. Thread said.
"Also, rules that allow parents to pay for a single seat and bring a lap baby are both good and bad for parents—good, in that they can save some money, but they also increase the parent's discomfort a lot. I think everyone deals with discomfort differently. Some people are more polite about it and try to help each other be less uncomfortable,” they said, adding that they never complain about larger people sitting next to them. “I put up the armrest and do my best to give them a little room. They are always extremely grateful, usually say thanks, and sometimes, buy me a drink!”
However, others get angry about being uncomfortable and feel like they should be able to take it out on their fellow passengers. This sort of behavior shows that those individuals see themselves as entitled to comfort while everyone else around them can continue to suffer.
"I think it's important to raise people to be polite and generous to others, but I don't think Western culture puts a lot of emphasis on these norms anymore. Everyone's out for themselves," Dr. Thread shared their perspective with Bored Panda.
Image credits: Pew Nguyen / Pexels (not the actual photo)
"I think the mistake people make is to not get a flight attendant involved if someone refuses to give up the seat they've stolen"
In the meantime, we were interested in hearing about the best strategy for dealing with entitled behavior on planes and public transport. According to Dr. Thread, if you're the person whose seat is being taken, you should "always confront" the person.
"Most of the time, it is probably a misunderstanding—aisle numbering can be really confusing. I think the mistake people make is to not get a flight attendant involved if someone refuses to give up the seat they've stolen. That is part of the flight attendant's job, and passengers have a right to the seat they bought," they said.
The author shared one story from their past to illustrate how they personally handled a similar situation. "I once paid extra for a window seat with an aligned window—a very comfy spot to spend a four-hour flight—and a kid was sitting there, with their parent sitting in the middle seat. 'Oh, can't you just sit in the aisle seat?' the parent asked when I showed them my seat assignment. ‘This is his [the kid’s] first flight, and he wants to look out the window!’ I smiled and said, ‘Sorry, I booked this seat specifically to have the window,’ and just waited, smiling, standing there.”
They continued: “The mom muttered something under her breath that sounded nasty, and they moved, but if they hadn’t, I would have 100% called the flight attendant to help. Seat selection is an option for everyone if you're willing to pay for it and plan far enough in advance. These were premium seats, so it’s likely the parent could have afforded to select the window seat.”
Here's what some readers had to say after hearing about the airplane drama
Some people even shared similar stories of their own
